The heavily publicized
COVID-19 "surge",
and the alleged
"hospital capacity
crisis" in Texas,
is one example.
The leftist biased
media are grossly
exaggerating
reality in Texas,
and failing
to mention
how new COVID
cases in Texas
spiked among
younger than
usual people,
after the protests !
Leftist media bias
is no surprise !
They will say
anything to make
President Trump's
optimism seem
foolish.
This blog is not about
optimism, or pessimism.
I prefer reality:
Facts, data, logic,
and the truth --
not smearing Trump,
or cheerleading for him.
My last
ECONOMIC LOGIC
newsletter had a long
article on Trump's
first term.
Based on actual
accomplishments,
not on Tweets,
that I don't read.
I gave his administration
a grade of "B" for his
first two years, and a "C"
since then, so you know
exactly where I stand.
If you are interested
in a free 16-page pdf
copy, send your e-mail
address to:
EconomicLogic@Yahoo.com
WHAT'S REALLY
HAPPENING
IN TEXAS:
(data as of late June)
Texas is
nothing like
what happened
in New York City.
COVID cases
per 100,000
in the Bronx
are 6 times
higher than
in Houston !
The death rate
per 100,000
in the Bronx
is 33 times
higher than
in Houston !
Did you hear
those facts from
the mass media ?
Compare the cases and
death rates per 100,000
for three NYC’s boroughs
– the Bronx, Queens
and Brooklyn – with
major Texas cities:
COVID-19
Cases / Deaths,
per 100,000 Persons
( as of June 27 )
Bronx: 3,346 / 234 per 100.000;
Queens: 2,867 / 222;
Brooklyn: 2,345 / 198;
Houston: 567 / 7 per 100,000;
Dallas: 696 / 13;
Fort Worth: 500 / 10;
San Antonio: 423 / 5;
Austin: 549 / 9 per 100,000
The mass media
does not bother
mentioning the
no social distancing,
too few masks, and
people screaming,
during protests
in Houston,
and elsewhere
in Texas !
TEXAS ACUTE
CARE BEDS:
( as of June 25, 2020 )
-- Texas had
about 54,700
staffed acute care
hospital beds.
-- 12,571 empty
beds were available,
( 4,416 MORE
empty beds
than on March 18 )
( On June 25, 2020,
there were nearly
2.5 empty beds
for every bed
currently filled
with a COVID
patient ! )
Below is the trend
of unused
acute care beds
in the Texas
hospital system:
- 3/18/20: 8,155 empty beds;
- 4/1: 18,411;
- 4/15: 21,489;
- 4/29: 19,432;
- 5/20: 16,035;
- 5/27: 15,315;
- 6/3: 15,219;
- 6/10: 13,271;
- 6/17: 14,993;
- 6/25/20: 12,571 empty beds
TEXAS TOTAL
HOSPITAL BEDS:
On March 18, 2020,
Texas had
46,550 occupied
hospital beds.
The occupancy rate
was 85 percent.
By June 25, 2020,
the occupancy
rate was DOWN
to 76.7 percent.
Texas went
from virtually
no COVID cases,
or deaths,
on March 18, 2020,
to 131,917 cases,
and 2,296 deaths,
by June 25, 2020,
... but actually had
a LOWER percentage
of filled hospital beds
on June 25, 2020 !
Texas
health officials
also started
logging every
COVID--positive
patient as a COVID
hospitalization,
even if the patient
was admitted
to the hospital
for something else.
and had no COVID
symptoms.
Lindsey Rosales,
a spokesman for the
Texas Department of
Public Health Services,
confirmed that policy
to an independent
investigator:
"The number of
hospitalized patients
includes patients with
a lab-confirmed case
of COVID-19 even if
the person is admitted
to the hospital for
a different reason,"
Texas Health Resources,
a large hospital system,
said on its website
that its 'patients [are]
tested before most
procedures.'
Elective surgeries and
other medical procedures
in Texas have gone up
a lot in recent weeks
after the state had
gradually re-opened,
following its lockdown.
The first wave
of lockdowns
created a
huge backlog
of demand
for elective
surgeries.
People who went
to the hospital for
deferred treatments,
were all tested for
COVID, and became
part of the Texas
"second wave".
As of the
end of June,
the Houston
area alone had
12,458 staffed
acute care beds,
but 2,675,
( 21% of them )
were EMPTY,
and they had
an additional
surge capacity
of another
925 beds.
The rise in cases
in Texas has
been among
a much younger
population than
earlier in the
pandemic.
They rarely
need ICU beds.
At the end of June,
the Houston area
hospitals had just
795 lab confirmed
COVID patients,
representing just
8 percent of all
9,785 occupied
hospital beds.
Houston’s
3,600 beds
of remaining
surge capacity
means they could
accommodate
a over 4x increase
of their current
COVID caseload.
After hearing CNN,
NBC, ABC, CBS
scaremongering,
the CEO of one
of Houston’s
leading hospitals,
Memorial Hermann,
told the truth:
"Across our system,
we have about 4,000 beds
that we can bring into play'
for intensive care, he said. '
Right now, only about
30 percent are being utilized
for COVID care, so we still have
plenty of capacity for COVID
patients as well as patients
who need hospitalization
for other illnesses."
Dr. Marc Boom,
President and CEO
of another leading
hospital, Houston
Methodist, said:
"The number of
hospitalizations
are 'being
misinterpreted
... and, quite frankly,
we’re concerned that
there is a level of alarm
in the community that is
unwarranted right now.
We do have
the capacity
to care for
many more
patients,
and have
lots of fluidity
and ability
to manage,'"
Boom pointed out
that his hospital
one year ago was
also at 95 percent
of ICU capacity
– long before COVID !
He said 95 percent
utilization of the ICU
is typical in June,
and not the sign
of a COVID
apocalypse.
Boom said hospitals
are seeing younger
COVID patients,
who stay for a shorter
period of time, and have
far fewer deaths.
